It Was Skill I Tell You
by Realmlife
Summary: An encounter with Dragons for Eric and Presto with a solution that could only be dreamt up by the Cavalier.


**Disclaimer:  
**I do not own the D&D Cartoon. This is for fun, not profit.

**Author's Notes:  
**Written for the danddtoon community's Ficathon on LiveJournal.  
Prompt: Eric & Presto - Suspect Survival Technique - "It's the End of the World as We Know It"

--X--

**It Was Skill I Tell You**

This is it," Eric stated.

"It can't be," his friend replied.

"You need new glasses," Eric quipped. "Just look!"

"We've faced worse," Presto told him, unconvincingly.

"Not without our weapons," Eric said bitingly.

"But this can't be **it**," Presto whispered.

"Sure looks like it to me."

"It's only a dragon," the shorter boy pointed out.

"No, that's two dragons," Eric corrected.

"Same difference," the Magician mumbled.

"Same difference!" Eric cried. "I thought you were supposed to be good at maths. Last time I checked, two was **twice** as many as one."

"What does it matter if it's one or two dragons?" Presto argued. "We still have to get past them."

There was a pause, complete silence, broken only by the sound of the two battling creatures in front of them.

"It's no good, were finished," Eric whined.

"We're not," Presto hissed.

"We are. Face it. It's the end of the world," Eric complained.

"End of the World!" Presto exclaimed. "Isn't that a bit dramatic?"

Alright, it's the end of the world as we know it. Better?"

Presto didn't even bother contradicting him.

"It will be if we just stand here," he reflected. "There must be something we can do."

"Like what?" Eric snapped

"I don't know, anything!"

There was a second pause. The dragons continued fighting, seemingly oblivious to Eric and Presto only a short distance from them.

"I have an idea," Eric announced.

"What?" Presto asked

"We need to lie on the ground and curl up tightly," Eric replied.

"That's it!"

"Just do it!" Eric ordered.

Presto had no idea why they were doing it, but he just did it. The two of them lay, side by side, curled up in the foetal position, with their eyes closed.

Several minutes passed and nothing happened. Presto opened his eyes first when he realised that it had gone quiet. He cautiously uncurled himself and it became apparent immediately that they were now alone.

Far off into the distance, he could just make out the two dragons, high in the air, one fleeing with the other in hot pursuit. The Cavalier had not moved, and he yelled out in fright when Presto nudged him to get his attention.

"They're gone," he told him.

Eric blinked a few times and then grinned.

"See, it worked," he said smugly.

"I guess," Presto agreed reluctantly, "What gave you the idea?"

"I saw it on TV," the Cavalier informed him.

"TV?"

Yeah, it was on some kind of survival documentary I think?"

Presto eyed him suspiciously as reality dawned.

"What sort of documentary?"

"Oh, a nature show or something."

"Don't tell me," Presto groaned. "It wasn't about small animals with lots of sharp spines by any chance?"

"Yeah, that was it."

"Animals that curl up into a ball to protect themselves when in danger,"

Eric nodded.

"They're called porcupines," Presto said with a sigh. "That only works for them, not people!

"It seemed to work fine from where I'm standing?" Eric retorted.

"That's not the point."

"Of course that's the point," Eric argued.

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing," Eric snapped.

"You said it was the end of the world," Presto pointed out.

"We're alive aren't we?"

Presto could see that his friend had that look, the one that he got when he was going to start sulking. OK, so it may not have been a great idea, and it certainly had played no part in their escape. The dragons had been so intent on their fight that they had probably not even noticed them, but Eric had a point, they were alive.

"Yeah, we're still alive," Presto agreed. "At least you thought of something, which is more that I did," he added mournfully.

Eric remained frowning for a few seconds, but Presto had chosen his words well and the Cavalier's frown gradually changed to become a wide grin.

The Magician smiled. "I guess we got lucky."

"Luck! Luck! Luck had nothing to do with it," Eric declared.

"Really?"

"Absolutely," he replied, with absolute sincerity. "It was skill I tell you."

Presto rolled his eyes, but did not answer. Luck or skill, it didn't really matter. They were still in one piece, which was the main thing. Instead the two of them just picked themselves up and continued walking in the direction they had been heading and mentioned it no more.

--X--

THE END


End file.
